Chapter 83
I never imagined Sophia had been calculating this all along.
Compared to her meticulous planning, I'd been far too naive.
"Now that you've won, why are you still here?"
Sophia smiled as she looked me over. "To gloat, obviously. And to thank you."
"If it weren't for you, I wouldn't have known how important I am to Leo."
I didn't want to hear another word. I turned and headed inside.
"Lucinda, I'll never give you another chance to get close to Leo!"
I didn't acknowledge Sophia's warning.
I walked quickly.
Even when people tried to greet me, I couldn't be bothered.
Only when I reached my private practice room could I finally breathe.
Last night's heart-wrenching pain came flooding back.
I curled up on the floor, wrapping my arms tightly around myself.
Suddenly, my phone buzzed.
I pulled it out. A message from Leo.
[I'll be out of town for a few days. Whatever it is can wait till I'm back.]
Reading it made my heart sink even lower.
I wanted to reply with something, but in the end I said nothing.
What was there to say?
That I'd been abandoned? That I was leaving and didn't need him anymore?
I didn't owe him any explanations.
Right now, the finals were what mattered.
Maybe when love failed, career would pick up the slack.
My rehearsals went smoothly the next couple of days.
I even found time to ask Amelia about the other competitors' strengths.
Learning that many were pulling out their trump cards and secret weapons, I felt it wasn't enough. I increased the difficulty of my routine by two levels.
These moves weren't exclusive to me, but I was confident no one could execute them more beautifully.
My teacher had chosen me originally because my natural gifts exceeded most dancers'.
So yeah, I had that confidence.
My only worry was my leg injury.
But I'd been taking my medication regularly. It should be fine.
That afternoon, Amelia and I headed to the rehearsal together.
The International Ballet Competition finals were being held at Silverlight City Grand Theater.
By the time we arrived, most participants and dance companies were already there.
From a distance, I spotted Asher and Lillian walking inside together.
I deliberately hung back with Amelia, waiting until they'd gone ahead before approaching the entrance.
"Well, if it isn't Lucinda, the girl who got kicked out of her company. You're not even a member anymore—how do you have the nerve to show up?"
Olivia looked at me with pure mockery.
Before I could respond, Amelia jumped in.
"Even someone like you, who didn't make it past the preliminaries, can be here, so why can't Cindy, who topped the semifinals?"
Olivia flared up, about to fire back, but when she realized it was Amelia, her expression shifted. She defended herself in a lower tone.
"Amelia, I was talking to Lucinda. Why are you butting in?"
"Lucinda works for me now. You insult her, I'm obviously going to step in!"
"What?" Olivia looked shocked. "Do you even know what Lucinda did to Sophia? And you still took her in?"
Amelia scoffed. "Who the hell is Sophia? Like I'd care about her."
"But—" Olivia looked completely baffled.
"With that level of fight in you, you dare come at me?" Amelia snorted dismissively.
Then she pulled me inside.
I had no desire to waste breath on them either, so I let her drag me along.
Once we were inside, I quietly warned Amelia.
"Don't be so impulsive next time. Olivia's Sophia's bestie. If you offend her, Sophia will run to Leopold."
Amelia shrugged it off. "Let her tattle. What do I care? My cousin's not an idiot. He doesn't believe everything she says."
I froze slightly. Right—Amelia and Leopold were blood relatives, cousins.
Sophia would be desperate to get on Amelia's good side. How would she dare cross her?
I dropped the subject.
The rehearsal just involved drawing performance slots and doing a quick stage walkthrough in order.
It wrapped up in half an hour.
"Lucinda?"
Coming down from the stage, I ran into Asher and Lillian.
"It really is you."
Asher removed his hand from Lillian's and stared at me with that sleazy look.
"I thought you'd withdraw. Didn't expect you to find a company willing to take you. What'd you use to convince them this time? Your mouth or your body?"
He reached out to touch me.
I immediately dodged, my voice cold. "Mr. Wood, Silverlight City isn't your personal kingdom. I'd advise against asking for trouble."
"Still so feisty. I really can't wait to see you crying and begging under me."
I twisted open my half-finished water bottle and splashed it all over him.
"Lucinda!" Asher wiped his face, his expression turning murderous.
Lillian rushed over with tissues to help clean him up.
But Asher shoved her away. "Lucinda, you dare do this to me?"
"Leave now, or I don't mind beating you up again!" I deliberately raised my knee.
Asher instinctively clenched his legs together, then realized how cowardly that looked. He snarled, "We'll see about this!"
I let out a cold laugh and walked away.
After meeting back up with Amelia, she showed me the seating chart for tomorrow's VIP front rows.
"Look, my cousin's coming tomorrow. He's got the best seat in the house. You better put on an amazing show and blow him away."
My eyes dimmed.
Donovan must have kept quiet about what happened that night, because Amelia still didn't know Leopold and I had completely fallen out.
"It's getting late. I want to head home and rest."
Amelia nodded quickly. "Let's go. I'll drive you."
As soon as we stepped outside, we spotted Olivia and Sophia huddled together.
"Amelia, Cindy."
Seeing us, Sophia greeted us first.
Amelia responded tersely. "Why are you everywhere?"
Sophia acted like she couldn't detect the brush-off, smiling sweetly. "Olivia and I are going shopping at the mall next door. Leo's meeting us later. Want to come?"
Amelia raised an eyebrow. "My cousin's coming?"
Sophia nodded.
Seeing Amelia waver, I said, "You guys go ahead. I've got things to do."
Amelia quickly explained, "There's this crazy expensive bag I've had my eye on. Can't bring myself to buy it, so I want to get my cousin to pay for it."
"Come with us! It's the day before the competition—buy something nice for good luck."
"No thanks, I really do have stuff to handle."
I firmly declined.
Amelia didn't push further.
I headed straight to the parking garage.
I'd just opened my car door when Leopold's car pulled in.
My heart rate spiked.
But as the car passed me, the window didn't even roll down.
I shook my head bitterly, got in my car, and drove away.
When I got back to Bayview Villas, Ethan was already waiting in his car.
Seeing me, he handed over an envelope.
"Inside are your plane ticket and passport for tomorrow night's flight to Gravenford Kingdom. Check if there's anything else you need to bring. I can help you ship it ahead."
I smiled and shook my head. "No need. One carry-on is enough. You hold onto the ticket and documents for me—I'm afraid I'll lose them."
"Alright. Did you tell your parents you're leaving?"
"Yeah. They're really supportive. Said once they get the company sorted, they'll come visit."
Ethan nodded with relief. "Good. Get some rest tonight. See you tomorrow."
"See you tomorrow."
I stepped back and waved goodbye.
As I watched his car disappear into the distance, I turned to head inside, but noticed the headlights of a black luxury car vanishing around the corner.
It looked a lot like Leopold's car.